Sketching Skodas

Instead of restoring vintage Czech cars made by Laurin & Klement (L&K), Stefan Ivanov sketches them. His desire to raise awareness of the brand in his home country of Bulgaria and abroad drove him to publish an illustrated history of L&K in 2019. Although he’s attended several exhibitions in Eastern Europe, he’s now set his sights on an American audience.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Ivanov about his efforts to promote the L&K brand, the predecessor to Škoda, a journey that began with a life-changing motorcycle accident nearly two decades ago. For the 18-year-old former athlete, waking up from a two-week coma was only the beginning. “The first few months were awful. Most of the time I was in bed. Couldn’t move a lot, no music and television. Just laying, staring at the ceiling and trying to realize what was happening,” Ivanov recalls.

Ivanov’s beloved Škoda faces forward as he looks back at L&K’s forgotten history. Image: Radoslava Kunchevska.

Yanked from the young life he’d previously led, Ivanov remembers how hard it was to move forward after his near-death experience. “After the crash, I lost some of my friends because I changed. I had to grow up much faster. I became an outsider because I opened my mind. People here don’t like people who see the world as it is.”

Ivanov’s life may have irrevocably changed, but he infused his new perspective with cherished elements of his past, one of which was sketching. Ivanov drew as a child, but his parents weren’t artists, and he never received any formal training. Yet he decided to return to his past hobby one day during recovery. “My hand was shaking. No coordination. I was hardly holding the pencil.” Despite the struggle to improve his motor functions, Ivanov says, “I realized this was my way out of the sad reality.”

By the spring of 2006, Ivanov had become an amateur historian in the Czech automotive industry, specifically the L&K brand. What started as a small bicycle workshop in 1895 grew into a company that produced motorcycles and then its first car in 1905. L&K manufactured everything from fire trucks and ambulances to aircraft engines, delivery cars, and autobuses. Škoda acquired the brand in 1925.

“One of my goals is to raise awareness in society that the history of the automobile has to become a subject of study in schools,” Ivanov states. “My struggle here is because people don’t recognize my art. People don’t care much even in the automotive societies in Bulgaria. One of the reasons is people don’t study automobile history.”

“The founders—Laurin and Klement—were ordinary poor boys with a dream. Dreams are very powerful.” He also highlights the potentially darker side of automotive history, which is “like politics…uncomfortable truths, secrets, industrial spying.” One of L&K’s founders even traveled to the U.S. and met Henry Ford, but there are “so many more interesting stories that need to be revealed to the public,” Ivanov explains.

Inspiration for Ivanov’s fascination with L&K and the Škoda brand also stemmed from his family history. His father owned a Škoda 100S (his first car) and a bright orange 120L. “It was a strange car. Four-door saloon with a motor in the back,” Ivanov recalls about the 120L. “Back then it was called a ‘Porsche for poor people.’”

“I remember that my father learned how to repair cars on his first Škoda,” Ivanov says, but admits, “Unfortunately I am not a mechanic. I always helped my father when he asked, but I never really understood mechanical work. It’s like something is missing in me.” However, Ivanov proudly speaks of his 1982 Škoda 120 GLS, which is “probably the loudest car in town. My father bought it in 2006 before my graduation.”

Ivanov hopes to build on the success of his first book and the many exhibitions he’s attended, both in Bulgaria and abroad. “In 2019 I presented a book telling the story of L&K,” Ivanov explains. “It is a pilot book published with limited time and funds. I would like to republish the book with many more illustrations, information, translated mostly in English and Czech languages.”

The National Polytechnic Museum in Sofia featured Ivanov’s sketches in May 2023. Image: Stefan Ivanov.

In February 2023, Ivanov presented several of his sketches at Zlaten Rohzen, a private museum for classic cars located in the village of Kapatovo, Bulgaria. Three months later, his works were exhibited at the National Polytechnic Museum in Sofia, Bulgaria. In March 2024, he traveled to Mlada Boleslav in the Czech Republic to present 25 of his works alongside various L&K models in the Laurin & Klement and Škoda Illustrated History Exhibition.

When asked about his plans for the future, Ivanov responds, “I am trying to find a way to open exhibitions in the USA. Through such events I would spread the story of L&K.” He adds, “Maybe some collectors such as Jay Leno could add one L&K in his collection.” Although he’s achieved varying levels of success thus far, his determination hasn’t wavered. “America is still the land of opportunity, so I will keep trying to find the right person or company.”

Ivanov encourages others to “never give up” despite the sharp and unexpected turns life often takes. “We all someday will face hard times, it is part of life. The worst thing for people is to waste their talents. So keep your head up, keep walking your way until you reach your goals. It won’t be easy but it’s worth it.”

Recognize this piece of America’s car manufacturing history? Image: Radoslav Stefanov.